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The Lords of Dust
The Lords of Dust is a secret cabal of rakshasa and other fiends, manipualting the world of Eberron to release the Overlords from the Age of Demons and achieve personal power. History The Great War During the Age of Dragons, the great dragon Eberron trapped the evil dragon Khyber within itself, after Khyber slew their brother Siberys. Khyber's last act of defiance was to give birth to a host of fiends. It was Khyber's last hope that these fiends would destroy the descendants of Siberys and Eberron. 10,000,000 years ago, the fiends succeeded, and overran the world of Eberron. Led by the rakshasa and the night hags, the Age of Demons began. Not completely obliterated, the dragons hid from their demon rulers, living in a primitive state. However, 1,500,000 years ago, the dragons discovered what would be called the Draconic Prophecy. They began to build upon this knowledge, and began to fight against the fiends. They found other allies that had also survived; most importantly: the couatl. Once they became powerful enough, the dragons and couatl joined forces and attacked the fiends that inhabited Eberron. The couatl sacrificed themselves to send the Overlords and the majority of the fiends back into Khyber, where they are trapped by the Silver Flame. When the great war ended, the fiends that were not imprisoned in Khyber retreated back to a land they called Fah'lrrg in the infernal tongue; the land now known as the Demon Wastes. From behind the Shadowcrags and the Icehorn Mountains, the fiends continued to live within their ruined fortresses and amongst the various pits that still lead into Khyber. Forming the Lords of Dust Within the Demon Wastes, the remaining rakshasa made plans to free their trapped masters. They formed a secret society which they called the Lords of Dust. Led by the Bleak Council, the rakshasas of the Lords of Dust organized their other Khyber-spawned brethren and led them to infiltrate the rest of the world. The goals of most of the Lords of Dust are to gain revenge on their age old enemies: the dragons and the couatls, and their descendants, especially the Church of the Silver Flame. However, some members' only goals are to gain power for themselves. Most of the Lords of Dust also seek to free the imprisoned Overlords, the rakshasa rajahs, from their bonds. They use prakhutus, or speakers, that can communicate with their masters. The prakhutus then carry their rulers' wishes to the rest of the Lords of Dust. The rakshasas amongst the Lords of Dust use their telepathy and shape-changing abilities to infiltrate every organization in Eberron. No one is entirely sure what their schemes are. Since the rakshasas are immortal, their true end goals are hard to decipher. A rakshasa agent might wait an entire human lifetime before making a move to further its schemes. It is thought that the Lords of Dust have managed to infiltrate most organizations, including the Aurum, the Cults of the Dragon Below, the elves of Aerenal, and even House Phiarlan. The Lords of Dust also prefer to use the Draconic Prophecy against the dragons. They will manipulate events to resemble events foretold by the Draconic Prophecy, then manipulate the dragons to perform acts they think are part of the prophecy, but are actually detrimental to future events. Organization Over the last hundred-thousand years, the Lords of Dust have infiltrated the various organizations of Eberron. Their primary goal is to manipulate events to two ends: release their Overlord masters from their bonds, and gain revenge against their ancient enemies, the dragons and the couatl. The Bleak Council The Lords of Dust are led by the Bleak Council. Most of the Bleak Council directly speak with the thirty or so Overlords that are still bound. There are approximately 90 members of the Bleak Council that operate across the world. The Claws of Khyber Below the Bleak Council are the Claws of Khyber, those fiends and their allies that act as the arms, and swords, of the Council. There are hundreds of Claws out in the world, acting as spies within most of the organizations of Eberron. The Pawns In addition, the Lords of Dust use a lot of pawns to move their schemes forward. These pawns could be kings of nations, or an adventuring party. None of them know that they are working for the Lords of Dust, or even that the Lords of Dust even exist. Bases of Operations The Lords of Dust ostensibly operate out of the ancient city of Ashtakala, the "capital" of The Demon Wastes. There, they are members of the Council of Ashtakala, the rulers of the Demon Wastes. Notable Members While the names of the majority of the Lords of Dust are kept secret, some have surfaced in rumored whispers. Most of the Lords of Dust are rakshasas, but other fiends also make up their numbers. * The most famous of the Lords of Dust is the rakshasa Durastoran the Wyrmbreaker, a powerful ak'chasar loremaster. Durastoran is leading a more active campaign against the dragons, especially against the Chamber. He is said to have a large force of lesser fiends and humans at his disposal. He enjoys destabilizing the relationship between the dragons and the elves. Durastoran worships one of the Overlords directly, Bel Shalor, the Shadow in the Flame, and seeks a way to free this shadowy demon from his prison. Durastoran sits on the Bleak Council. * The greatest of the prakhutu is Hektula, the Bloody Scribe. Hektula is the prakhutu of the Overlord Sul Khatesh, and serves the Council of Ashtakala as their librarian. She is one of the most knowledgeable arcanists on Eberron, and sits on the Bleak Council. * Kashtarhak, known as the Voice of Chaos, serves the trapped rajah Eldrantulku. it is said that Kashtarhak helped manipulate the fall of the giants of Xen'drik, the destruction of the Dhakaani Empire, and the fall of the Kingdom of Galifar. He sits on the Bleak Council. * The most powerful of all the zakya rakshasas is Mordakhesh, the Shadowsword. Mordakhesh has fought dragons in melee combat, and was one of the fiercest fighters for the Overlords. Mordakhesh prefers manipulating armies, and has spies amongst most armies of Khorvaire. He is a servant of Overlord Rak Tulkhesh, and has a legion of lesser fiends and barbarians at his disposal. He sits on the Bleak Council. * Korliac of the Gray Flame is a pit field in league with the Lords of Dust. Madness drove him from the plane of Fernia, and joined the leages of Overlord Tul Oreshka. He serves the Lords of Dust in the land of Xen'drik. Korliac is a member of the Bleak Council. * Beside Korliac, the only other known non-rakshasa on the Bleak Council is Thelestes, the Velvet Blade. A succubus, Thelestes fled Mabar to join the Lords of Dust. She has multiple aliases across Khorvaire, including within House Thuranni and House Phiarlan. She takes pleasure in watching corruption and death. * Ethon Panjilcuttra is the artificer of the Lords of Dust, who maintains the Drain Works of Ashtakala. * Kashurashan is a rakshasa sorcerer who has been watching the city of Stormreach in Xen'drik since before the fall of the giants. * Kkressd is a rakshasa disguised as a House Orien courier. He is the leader of the Dust Motes, a subgroup of the Lords of Dust, and has been courting Jorlanna d'Cannith. * A rakshasa named Zathara and his zakya assistant Nethatar act as the Lords of Dust's agents in Sharn, the City of Towers. They make their base of operations within a wizard's keep in Khyber's Gate. * Cyl-Maaldrake is a tiger-headed balor, a fiend of Khyber and former favored servant of the Lords of Dust. He is bound to a maze of khyber dragonshards in the Darkfire Crater, which is located somewhere in Xen'drik's volcanic interior. * A powerful rakshasa named Drulkalatar has shown interest in the agent of the Dark Lanterns known as Thorn. * Yeenoghu, the demon lord of the gnolls, is a member of the Lords of Dust. He is worshiped as a god by the gnolls of the Demon Wastes. References Category:Evil Organizations Category:Lords of Dust Category:Organizations of Eberron Category:Servants of the Overlords Category:Conspiracies of Eberron Category:The Draconic Prophecy